Alice In Borderland: Riptide

EPISODE FOUR: TIME OF THE SEASON

You wake up with a sunbeam in your eyes from the high, oblong window in the breakroom, yawn, and lift your face from the pile of tropical print fabric cushioning your head. Chishiya's grey and white hoodie slips from your shoulder and you quickly grab it to keep it from hitting the floor. Your chair squeaks at the sudden motion, and Karube jerks awake, shoving himself from the table and causing his chair to roll into the wall. He smacks his elbow in trying to stop himself, doubles over and grasps it, and rocks while moaning, his face scrunched in pain.

       "Stupid funny bone."

       Usagi giggles and then yawns, stetching her arms over her head.

       "It's not funny!" Karube admonishes her, which only causes Usagi to cover her mouth to hid the smile as she giggles some more. He pokes his tongue out at her and approaches the table, jabbing Kuina's shoulder. "Hey, wake up! You're drooling all over the table."

       Kuina jerks into an upright position, swiping her arms and hands ungracefully across her face, sweeping her wide-eyed gaze from side to side.

       "Wha- oh. I was? My bad."

       "You're fine, Kuina. Ignore Karube - he hit his funny bone and completely lost his sense of humor.

       Karube glares at you, a pout on his lips. "Did not."

       You stick your tongue out at him and he, unsurprisingly, returns the immature gesture, Chishiya shakes his head as he stands and wanders over to the coffee maker.

       "Stop that now, children. Let's behave, shall we?"

       "Yes, father," you mutter. You flap your hand at him with a sheepish grin. "Go ahead and make yourself useful, would ya? I'm sure there's coffee in one of those cupboards."

       A few minutes later the coffee is percolating and everyone is gathered around the table, holding mugs and vibrating with the desire for that beautiful, dark, super-caffeinated liquid, when Arisu wanders in. Thus begins a slow but steady trickle of people, most of whom are still caught in the throes of stretching/scratching/yawning. A few get mugs and toss a tea bag in with some hot water from the tap.

       "Be careful," Ann tells everyone. "The breaker only made it so the generators will run, and once the water supply runs low we'll have to depend on rainwater. We should be fine for awhile but better safe than sorry."

       Several people nod and return to their caffeine.

       "We should start looking for the entrance to the game master's lair tonight. I know it's down past Shibuya Station-" you begin.

       "-the subway?" Arisu asks, then considers for a minute. "Actually that makes sense. If it's as massive an operation as you say... they'd have to at least try to disguise their main base."

       "Exactly. Niragi, I think you should try to get a handle on your wheezy little problem before we send you into the games. The liklihood of you getting injured and setting it off is too high."

       "Fine, whatever. If you say to stay out and lay low, I will. For a little while." He messes with a gouge mark in the tabletop sullenly. "I only have one boss, and that's you."

       You smile, rueful and a little sad, but also slightly more hopeful than you might have been otherwise.

       "I have a very distinct memory of you saying those exact words about someone very different from me. I'm glad to know that won't be the case this time around."

       Chishiya snorts an ungraceful little laugh, and Niragi turns to sneer at him.

       "I really hate your laugh, you know that? And why do you always look like that cat who got the canary, huh? Those damned eyes of yours-"